Bouncy Castle
A bouncy castle is an inflatable amusement ride that features an inflatable floor (termed the bed) for riders to jump on. To differentiate them from Bounce Pads and Jumping Pillows, bouncy castles have walls (and optionally a roof) held up by inflated vertical pillars to create a safe enclosed space. The walls can either be inflated, or made of mesh netting.
Nomenclature
| Country | English Translation | |
|---|---|---|
| Bouncy Castle | United Kingdom
Australia |
|
| Jumping Castle | Australia | |
| Bounce House | USA | |
| Moon Bounce | ||
| Moon Walk | ||
| Hüpfburg(en) | German-speaking | Jump castle |
| Springkussen | Dutch-speaking | Bounce pillow |
| Springkasteel | Bounce castle | |
| Luchtkussen | Air cushion | |
| Château Gonflable | French-speaking | Inflatable castle |
Commercial Bouncy Castles
Construction
Commercial bouncy castles are made from vinyl tarpaulin fabric – a heavy-duty, durable, waterproof, UV-resistant, and tear-resistant material made by coating a strong woven polyester scrim with polyvinyl chloride (PVC). The material can be manufactured in many different colours, which can be used to great effect to give bouncy castles their fun, bright, attractive appearance. Large sheets of this material are stitched together with strong polyester thread to form the shape of the castle.
The vinyl material itself is air-tight, however the stitching seams and components such as the deflation tube (even while sealed) and deflation assist zippers are not, and air will continuously escape from the castle through these areas. Air must be continuously blown into the castle to keep it inflated and firm enough to jump on.
Styles & Designs
Blower
The blower (also referred to as the fan, pump or motor) is a centrifugal fan driven by an electric motor or petrol/diesel engine. The blower runs continuously, delivering constant, high-pressure (how much?) air to the bouncy castle to keep it inflated. Without the blower running the bouncy castle will begin to deflate almost immediately.
Typically the blower inlet tube is located at the rear of a bouncy castle (or other inflatable). The rear of the castle is typically inaccessible to patrons, which makes it an ideal location for the blower, as the blower can be a trip hazard and is quite loud (especially for petrol/diesel blowers or an electric blower run off a generator) which can be bothersome and even scare younger riders. The blower (and possibly other equipment) may also be considered unsightly and jarring; hard, mechanical and technical compared to the soft, playful and fun experience offered by the castle itself.
Whooshing & "Clicking" Sounds
As patrons jump on the bouncy castle the air pressure inside the structure temporarily increases as they land on the bed. As the inflatable is moderately air tight, air can only escape through the seams or back-flow into the blower. This escaping air and back-flow causes an audible "whooshing" sound.
In addition, some (all?) blower designs have vanes/flaps on the outlet pipe that act as a one-way check valve. As air tries to back-flow into the blower, these flaps snap shut, producing an audible "click" sound.
Heavier and/or more riders on the castle can increase the loudness of these sounds.